ALMS (ROAD ATLANTA) - VOICES OF PETIT: JIM TAFEL

Jim Tafel and Tafel Racing will make their first start at Petit Le Mans this weekend.

No driver in the American Le Mans Series may be looking forward to Petit Le Mans as much as Jim Tafel. The owner and driver for Tafel Racing is competing in his backyard for the first time at Road Atlanta with two Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs. Tafel's team has tested numerous times at the circuit this year and hopes to make a big splash in the 10th running of Petit Le Mans.

Keys to the track: "It's loose and flowing. It's very complicated as the track changes throughout the day and into the night. You have to be really aware of your surroundings and find a rhythm there and understand how the track changes along with the car."

No place like home: "Petit is going to be a phenomenal experience. To live 30 minutes away from there with that class of drivers and teams in the world, it's going to be great."

Great expectations: "You can expect nothing but excellence. It's going to be world-class. I think we're going to have a phenomenal, record-breaking crowd. Sponsors are going to be all active. Petit is one of the biggest races in the world to me, one of the top three that we participate in."

The 10th running of Petit Le Mans, the annual 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic at Road Atlanta, is set for 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday, October 6. SPEED will provide live coverage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 to 10 p.m. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.